1,000 new jobs at Apple will benefit Kerry

KERRY Fine Gael TD, Brendan Griffin, has welcomed Apple’s announcement of 1,000 new jobs, saying it is a huge boost for the southwest region.

“Apple has been a great employer for the southwest and their announcement of 1,000 new jobs is a huge boost primarily for Cork but will also benefit Kerry.

“Currently Apple supports nearly 18,000 jobs across the country, including over 5,000 direct Apple employees – an increase of 25% in the past year alone.

“The planned Apple expansion will lead to the creation of 1,000 new jobs by 2017 and will of course also create many jobs in the construction phase, which Kerry builders will hope to work on.

“Many Kerry residents already commute to and from jobs in Cork. Cork is less than 50 miles from Killarney and when the new N22 Cork-Kerry Road is built, the entire Cork jobs market will become far more accessible. That’s one of the reasons why it was crucial to get the N22 included on the new Government Capital Investment Plan and I am now working to get works started as soon as possible.

“Todays announcement signifies Apple’s confidence in the future of the Irish economic recovery. Recent CSO figures for October show that the Live Register has dropped by 34.96% in Kerry since the launch of the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs in February 2012, the best result for any county nationwide. Last week, I spoke in the Dail on the need for more Foreign Direct Investment for Kerry and more needs to be done by the agencies and government to deliver this but we must also recognise the benefits of increased FDI on our doorstep.

“It is crucial that stable and pro-enterprise Government policies will continue so that we can replace all of the jobs lost in the crash, to ensure continued economic growth, and to provide better services for everyone.”